Image
Jimmy Smith is at the helm of FC Dallas’ $182 million stadium renovation, which will mean more comfort and luxury for North Texas soccer fans.
Jimmy Smith brought the ball down the court for Victoria High School in the final seconds of the 1992 boys basketball Texas state championship game with the score tied. Awaiting him on defense was Longview High School star Bobby Taylor, who would go on to be a Pro Bowl cornerback in his 10-year NFL career.
Smith, who was later named the MVP of the state tournament, ran a pick and roll, and Longview double-teamed him. He passed to one of the team’s top scorers, who put up a shot that went in and out at the buzzer. Victoria lost in overtime. Smith, a three-time All-State basketball player, never won a state championship.
Image
Smith’s high-stake roles make him one of Dallas’ most influential sports business figures.
Smith wouldn’t be without accolades, though. He was a four-time All-District and a three-time All-Region player who, in 1992, was the USA Today Texas Player of the Year and was named Mr. Basketball in Texas in 1993. He went on to play at Texas A&M University and was inducted into the Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023. In 2010, he was named to the UIL All-Century basketball first-team alongside NBA stars Clyde Drexler, Chris Bosh, and Shaquille O’Neal and ahead of NBA all-stars LaMarcus Aldridge, Larry Johnson, and Mookie Blaylock.
Smith unsurprisingly made a career in sports, though his profession involves more boardrooms than locker rooms. Today, he is the chief operating and financial officer for FC Dallas while also serving as chair of the Dallas Sports Commission and chair-elect of the Visit Dallas Advisory Board.
“We helped FIFA see Dallas in a different light. We’re ready to put the city on the map as an international soccer hub.”
Jimmy Smith
As Smith went off to A&M, being a pro athlete was in his sights, but he was also drawn to math and accounting. After suffering some injuries, he went to graduate school and landed an internship in Dallas. He felt like his chance of landing the business of sports was better in North Texas.
Soccer Booster
Despite being a basketball phenom, Jimmy Smith has become one of DFW’s greatest advocates for the beautiful game.
As chair of the Dallas Sports Commission, Jimmy Smith played an integral role in FIFA’s decision to give DFW the chance to host nine World Cup games in 2026. He worked with local municipalities, the Dallas Cowboys, AT&T Stadium, and others to convince FIFA that North Texas is a great soccer region. In the process, he has better understood how sports can impact the greater community via tourism and economic impact. With DFW as the assumed host of the international broadcasting center and two major airports, he sees the region as one of the 2026 World Cup hubs. “We helped FIFA delegates see Dallas in a different light,” he says. “We are ready to put Dallas on the map as an international soccer city.”
He scored a job with accounting firm Arthur Anderson, where one of his clients was Southwest Sports Group, Tom Hicks’ entity that owned the Rangers, Stars, and the Mesquite Championship Rodeo. His job included working on the $420 million construction of the AAC—he later took a job with the venue, serving as the director of finance for six years, but longed to find a way into a team’s front office.
That opportunity manifested with FC Dallas. His duties include overseeing the renovation and operations of FC Dallas’ Toyota Stadium, the National Soccer Hall of Fame Experience, and the 120-acre, 19-field Moneygram Soccer Park. He is also the treasurer of the FC Dallas Foundation. As if that wasn’t enough, Smith helps manage the salary cap for FC Dallas in Major League Soccer’s complicated structure. To understand how difficult managing an MLS team’s player budget is, consider this: for most pro sports leagues, there are only a few ways to obtain players. The team can draft them from college, sign them in free agency, claim them off waivers, or make a trade. MLS has 16 different ways to acquire a player, including a SuperDraft, an allocation process, a re-entry draft, targeted allocation money, and general allocation money.
Additionally, Smith is at the helm of the $182 million renovation of Toyota Stadium. The improvements will add a roof to cover seats and provide shade for the entire stadium; the number of suites will more than double; and club seating capacity will increase by 175 percent. Alongside REV Entertainment, the team is also working on an $85 million stadium in Mansfield for North Texas Soccer Club, the organization’s professional development team, which won the MLS NEXT Pro Cup this past fall.
Image
With a new manager this year, FC Dallas is on a mission to return to playoff contention.
Smith’s plate is more than full these days, but even a full schedule can’t erase the pain of falling just short of a state championship. While Smith may never forget the winning jumper that wasn’t in 1992, he uses that moment to fuel his success today. “It always reminds me to finish the job. In my career now, I take great satwisfaction in the completion of a project,” he says. “When the Toyota Stadium renovation project was approved by the city, it was like winning a championship.”
Author